COLUMBUS, OHIO – Columbus Blue Jackets President and General Manager Doug MacLean announced today that right wing Joe Motzko has joined the club on emergency recall from the Syracuse Crunch, the club’s American Hockey League affiliate. The Blue Jackets also placed center Manny Malhotra on Injured Reserve. Malhotra is out indefinitely due to a shoulder injury suffered in last night’s 4-3 shootout win over the NY Islanders.

Motzko, 25, has registered 3-11-14 and 12 penalty minutes in 17 games with Syracuse this season and has 48-73-121 and 122 penalty minutes in 166 career AHL games with the Crunch. Last season, he ranked second on the club in goals and points with 28-38-66 and 72 penalty minutes in 79 games. He made his NHL debut with the Blue Jackets on Feb. 2, 2004 at Phoenix and did not register a point in two games with the club that season.

Originally signed by Columbus as a free agent on May 15, 2003, Motzko played four seasons at St. Cloud State University and collected 52-90-142 and 201 penalty minutes in 154 games from 1999-03. He tallied a career-high 17-25-42 and 59 penalty minutes in 38 games as a senior in 2002-03, leading the Huskies to their fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

The Blue Jackets return to action tonight at the Atlanta Thrashers. Game time is set for 7 p.m. ET, with FSN Ohio's Ice Breaker pregame show starting at 6:30 p.m. The game will also be broadcast live on the Blue Jackets Radio Network and flagship stations WBNS-AM Sports Radio 1460 the Fan and WWCD-FM, CD101.

The Blue Jackets return home for games against the New Jersey Devils on Sunday (Dec. 11) and Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday (Dec. 13). Tickets to all Blue Jackets home games are on sale now and may be purchased at the Nationwide Arena Ticket Office, the Blue Jackets Zones at Chiller Dublin, Chiller Easton, Chiller North, all Ticketmaster ticket centers, by phone at (614) 431-3600 or via the internet at www.BlueJackets.com and ticketmaster.com. For information on full season tickets starting as low as $13 per game, mini-season ticket plans or group tickets, call (800) NHL-COLS.